Just an FYI for those who might have been concerned about Exeter’s leadership - it was announced today that Bill Rawson, who had been appointed to a 2 year term as interim principal last spring, was named principal by the board of trustees. I was very impressed by him when we met in the fall, and everyone I’ve spoken with - alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff - have felt much the same. Coming off of the short and tumultuous tenure of the last principal, this is a very positive step for the school.
What happened to the previous principal?
As a current parent, I appreciated that he sent out a family survey for the first time in our 10 years at PEA. I think it is great he collected feedback from parents on our experience. The survey covered everything from dorm conditions, to quality of teachers and college counseling. It was a very thoughtful and well done survey.
Good for Bill Rawson! I am surprised to hear the school hadn’t done regular surveys before. Hopefully, Rawson will do this regularly to get feedback for improving the school. (For reference, Thacher has a third party conduct an in-depth parent survey every two years.)
Hard to believe PEA was not doing regular surveys. Bad customer service! Good that he has restarted it.
No. Exeter’s service is providing an education, not providing surveys. If they provide an amazing education and don’t do surveys, they are providing excellent customer service. If they provide an abyssal education, but conduct daily surveys, they are providing “Bad customer service!”
Altras: I can’t speak to the Exeter survey, but the Thacher survey covered tooivscesy beyond academics, from the advisory system, to dorm life, health services, communications to parents, athletics, college counseling, administration, peer culture, etc.
It is of the utmost arrogance to assume one is perfect and has no use for feedback. There is always room for improvement. It is equally helpful to understand what one’s strengths are and what IS working.
My comment was to the suggestion of bad customer service because surveys had not been conducted. That assertion is simply incorrect.
Surveys are one (of many) mechanisms to assess customer satisfaction. Also, bear in mind the difference between a customer and an end user. The child is the end user and most impacted by the service provided. The parent is the customer, as they pay for the service. Who is more important to please?
All organizations have limited resources. I personally would rather have a suggestions box, so-to-speak, rather than spend resources making, administering, analyzing, following up on, etc. in regard to surveys, or paying a 3rd party to do so, including their premium. I’d rather see limited resources spent on teachers, sports, activities, financial aid and the many other important factors that actually impact the service that the schools provide.
I don’t think that is arrogant, but I’m sure it’s just another thing we can’t seem to get right on the east coast.
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I’ll assume we’re done with the OT discussion of surveys.
Bill Rawson is wise to use a survey as a mechanism for gathering input. Suggestion boxes are great… but you never know whether a suggestions reflects the concerns of hundreds of people or just the particular individual who suggested it. The opinions are not representative.
Exeter has a fantastic reputation and probably could get away with resting on its laurels. I applaud Rawson for seeking to make an already great institution even better.
Exeter HAS been resting on its laurels for years and it’s college placement has fallen precipitously (e.g., 29 Yale admits from 2016-18; 24 Yale admits in 2002 alone). It’s gonna take a lot of work by Principal Rawson to change that.
(I wouldn’t judge a school by its Ivy matriculation rate… There was a time when Thacher would simply inform Yale of how many boys they were sending. A lot has changed in college admissions. )
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Yale’s acceptance rate has dropped from 13% to 4.6% in the same time period. With that math, Exeter acceptances to Yale are in line. No Head of School will change that reality.
As I’ve said many many times on this site, if you are selecting a school for its college matriculation stats, then you are choosing a school for the wrong reason. Yale, and its peers, admit students, not prep schools.
Yes, bad customer service. Why did I choose that term? Because that is what my PEA Admissions Officer said. “We have been poor at customer service. We have put too much stress on kids. We are trying to ease up, improve quality of life on campus. We are changing”.
Need @Center ‘s input here!
Kudos to Andover for doing surveys and, from what I hear, using that feedback to improve the experience.
It is common knowledge Exeter is becoming somewhat Balkanized on campus, and kids are stressed out. Been that way for a long time. Know lots of “in therapy” kids there.
Still applying though…great campus and teachers! But definitely not my first choice anymore.
@mynameiswhatever I believe Bill Leahy’s title is Dean of Enrollment and John Hutchins is Director of Admissions. If you have questions, I’d suggest starting with the AO who interviewed your child, as they’re usually the most accessible and knowledgeable about the day-to-day issues.
Re: changes on campus as a result of leadership: Principal Rawson has the distinct advantage of having been a student at Exeter (on financial aid), an admissions officer there for 2 years at the start of his career, a parent, and a member of the board of trustees. My guess is there are few people - outside of long-time staff and faculty - who know the school as well as he does. Based on the conversations I’ve had with people, there is a sense that he is listening more carefully to the faculty/staff than previous administrators, but is unlikely to make big, sweeping changes.
@vegas1 The “Exeter is so much easier than it was in my day…” has been a cherished refrain of current students, probably dating back to 1800. 
I actually preferred having Saturday classes - things felt a bit more spread out. There have been significant changes in the past 20 years, and I’d agree that most of them track closely with the cultural/societal changes that have happened during that time period. I’ve also seen much more attention paid to fostering community and healthy dorm cultures, which has been a much-needed shift.
@Boarding2019 I’m curious about your assertion that it’s “common knowledge that Exeter is becoming somewhat Balkanized.” It suggests a level of hostility that I don’t think is present. Do students self-segregate according to interests, teams, background, etc? Yes. Have they always? Yes. Is it hostile? I genuinely don’t think so.
As for resting on laurels, matriculation data, etc - I disagree. The school - like every comparable school - works hard to offer students incredible opportunities across the board. The purpose of high school is to learn and grow as an individual and a member of the community, not to get into a specific college.
At the end of the day, despite the facilities, the array of academic offerings, off-campus programs, extracurricular clubs, athletics, etc, etc, etc, Exeter is still just a school, and what your child will get out of their experience there is what they put into it. It’s why fit is so much more important than any other factor in choosing a school, and why it’s important to be honest about what you and your kid need and want from a school while making these decisions.